THF PRESBYTERIAN' THEOLOGICAL HALL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14495, 12 April 1909, Page 10

THF PRESBYTERIAN' THEOLOGICAL HALL.

SIK,- harder will out," ihey sav, or go put it a. iitilc less forcibly, "the cat occasionally gets out of tho bag." In your report of yesterday's issue of "the proceed tap o< the Synod, we read >'n connection with the vacancy caused by the death of Dv D'unlop. 'The comjnifct«o proposed that a certain amoun' (of what would have been tho salary of the late professor) go towards the salary of the Rev. Mr Hewit- ; son " "'here, Sir. you have the kernel of ] a very bad mit which tlie Theological Col- ; lego Committee had to crack. | We all know the story o< the naughty I little l.oy, who coked upon a thunder- . storm as. a direct consequence of his mis- ■ demeanour, but thought a terrible fuss was i being mack about a very little .matter. i Tho Theological College Committee has in post years wrought certain marvels in iho way of raising funds for the new Residential College, the chief facto; in its methods being an unbounded confidence in tho help of Providence ■ and its confidence \va6 not misplaced. Matters seemed, wjth a biare of trumpets, to liave been brought to a successful issue at last Assembly, by the appointment of the Rev. Mj' Hc.vitson as master of Knox College. __ Then the committee "sat tight" and waited foi Providence to pour ths s'dary for i.he> .«ew master into its lap. Eitlteir d. looks npern the funds now in hand as the answer of Providence, or it proposes to throw l'rovidonoj entirely overboard and uso futwis, which should go for one purpose, for an entirely different one. Sir, t'lio proposal to divide the work of tho Into Dr Dunlon between two professors, both of whom have already enough on hand, is logically wrong If two proteseoii* aro adequate to carry on all tho work, wliy was Mr Hewitson appointed at all this year, when at tlie time of his appointment thcro wero two professors on hand, and insufficient funds for the ,payment of a third ? This proposal, 'f carried out, will bo a gravo "iiju-stiiM to Hie students at twssnt in tho Theological Hall, and will seriously handicap thoui. There were other and better ways proposed at the previous meetings of this committee, which would have done justice to all concerned. The Theological College Committee has chosen an unworthy way, and ought not to be upheld in it.'—l am, etc., One Interested April 8. WHY WORKING MEN DO NOT ATTKND CHURCH: FROM A WORKING MAN'S POINT OF VIEW Sib,—Every now and again one reads articles in tho papers about the working men not going to dnireh and about the reasons for ; t. Practically ail that I liavo seen Ins bee written from a minister's point of view and, with all due deference to them. I would like to point out eome of the real 'reasons whieth 1, as a working man, have felt myself. I oidy do so in the perhaps vain thought that it may draw a. little attention to the subject and do a little good If Ido not express myself as well as I might, I hope those who have hud the advantage of a tattet 1 education will excuse my humble effort.

In the first place, I am a Presbyterian, borr and bred in the strictly good oldfashioned way; but I am afraid that, what I have to say dees not refer to the Presbyterian Church alone, but more or less to most of the churches. It is an admitted fact that, very few of our working men go to church. To .prove- it, one has only to consider what proportion of our population all our churches would hold if these who might reasonably be expected to do so turned, out regularly. There must be reasons for thou not going, and, as a matter of fact, there are many. Some working men may be careless, or have grown apparently careless, but it is a positive fact that thousands of them are not careless and would gladly welcome a 1 church whc.ro they could meet as brothers and worship God in a simple and a conscientious way. The principle cause of the apparent carelessness ot the working man ami his non-attendance at church is simply this: that tho church and its ministers havo nowadays gTown absolutely out, of touch and sympathy with the working hia.lL Unless one is fairly well up tho ladder financially—(socially 'ollows as a matter of comas)—how much encouragement does he g;t to attend church?' I may make myself plain by relating my j own experience. I am a church member, and on my arrival in Dunedin started to attend church. Tho first oils I went to fairly regularly for a considerable time, but although I went there, I found myself month after month just, as much a stranger as when I started. J could go Sabbath after Sabbath, and come away home without as much as recognition by a nod from anyone. I moved to another part of tho town and went to another church, with the same result, and I got tired of it. I do ;not wish to ho misunderstood here. The average wcrking man docs not wt-M ipatronagi, but in the sight of God all men are equal. 1 was on a committer canvassing for a candidate at the loft Parliamentary election. I went on that committee a stranger to almost all who were on it We all met in a common cause— and let us hope o coed one—and before the second evening vas over, without any i formal introductions, wc were all on the very best of terms with each other. We wero amply thcro to help each other by any lawful and reasonable means to gain our ends. I may say that wc did gain them, too. How much of such a feeling pervades the (<hurdies to-day ? or how much do we see of an earnest desire to help each ether on the way to Heaven or even alon-j the road in this world ? I would net like to say that a great deal of the church-going of the present day is not sincere, but is it not too true that the church has grown into a place where, to use the words of Bums, Men display to congregations great Devotion's every grace except the heart? Does our Maker wish us to go to' Worship Him better dressed than anyone else there, and in all the newest varieties of colour and Inventions that milliners, dressmaJiCrs, and tailors can devi.-e ! Should not our profession of following our Saviour teach us humility in everything ? Ministers and people wlto arc well off may say that this is a Small thing to take notice of, but in the average working man's struggle for a bare existence U k very often a severe trial to keep up even a fairly respectable appearance. No family with any selfrespoet will go to church vo l:e shunned and even laughed at, as 1 am sorry to say is too often the ease in tho present day I will not say anything more in this strain, as it is no use to expect any re-form f rom these practices until Christ gets a very real and live hold of the hearto and lives of Ifiosc who attend church.

I Some people say that the ministers are too well paid, and ,-hat t-hov are put in j a position socially far above' the working «'"■»• 1 do not say here that they are too well paid, for the "labourer is worthy of his hire but still thero is something" far wrong here. l lCt 1B | wk at (hig " airly. I sto the bwt off people that ho minister has to look for his Salary UibequonUj- l» has to nurse and ccdd'lo them with th, ,-csult that- they "nm" the ciitirch and him too. In maiiv eases t.],e minister cannot mix with the workin* i'.is»i*, a« it would lower his .xssition in ho eyes of those who think thov are better because they may l, avo a lj,.J le mw tins world's goods. I„ plain wor<l L , Z' poor man wanted in the Majority of our churches to-day? A man with any 6cfrtepoct cannot attend ehureh without subscribing to , to demands 'or mo „cv aid they have grown to be many i'herc is a elnkorale bu kliug t0 kc,p up, tl.er i (," imnisterssaary to be o,id, (hero are cob lecvions.of diflewnt kinds, seat-rents, ami cvsn mission boxes for the children. Now any one who takes sufficient inferos in 'i-i'i J , t ' l ' Ul a nia ". ivith four-to si* ebidrou to/keep and house rent to pa f The^^hL km, P lßtiCOamMia 1 I,! " S; " lo . r n] y own part I look o>\ seat rents as an invention of Satan -ind atiyonc who mil iinagino lhe „X; l, « eposi ion of a strange, unable to piy hem will -eahso tho truth of it. Think ■i\ , ; j , , ' olldol ' ~,113t "oi run a«-» JviUi ho idea that the working Jn a n ,?an s iw rekg.on fo, nothing. TlAverag o,t » quite jwlmw wid pleased to give SconU WS to h, 3 alnhty, b„t tho demands are on, of reason m proportion to his means T' k l 'K' ll revcK© this ar-'iK ment-.aiKl take a working man in inl scrtous trouble and !ts ittevilablo eon S »- quenca-Uio want of funds. How much sjinpßtiy or help do« he get from the Oliurcn or rfs members? A wealthy member may put his name on a subscription list for £b, or it may be £100, if it be on a place wliero it may bo "known and rend ot all men, and he will probably never miss it. io many a working man in trouble a 10-pound noto would he a-small fortune, but it is Jinost invariably to his mate* that he has «, l o ok for any assistance in hat line. Ido not for a moment say that Hie enurelw* do nothing, but it is very rifling indeed compared with their opportunity and profession. Another experience of my own has bee Ihat although m church-going peoplo wc have r right to look for and expect to find Uinstian charity, and kindness and thouchtfulness to one a-uothor, in actual practice, we just as often find tho reverse. I regret to Hints such words, but it ; s too true that many people who make a show of reigion will play off any mean, contemotiblc htt-Ie trick just at 'east as readily as'those who make no profession whatever Tho very nature of a working man's life makes him practical, and a religion which is not to lie put into practice in tho everyday things of tho world i- of no use to him Ot course I do not forget that we are all human, but after making duo allowance for the failings of human nature, we still come very far short even of what we might bo in our duties to one another. There »ro other reasons for tho working nun's alienee from church which I have not touched on, but I have written enough for one turn, and may return to the charge. I wish to make it clear that it is not our religion I am writing against, but our practice -as against our profession. In closing let us say that my purpose in writing and my' sincere wish are that abler hands may uso every endeavour to mako our ohurches and public worship very much plainer and simple*, and at the same time much more sincere and genuine,-I am, el*;, ' R.